June 10, 2015
The Swan Princess 5: A Royal Family Tale
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Not only is this done in the same computer 3D style as the fourth installment, but it recycles old story lines (hunting for the forbidden arts) while focusing solely really on the idea of Derek and Odette adopting Alise, a local orphan girl. There are some hints that perhaps Odette is more powerful than she thinks as "the swan princess," but mostly it's just trying to stay ahead of evil magic and save their new family. I suppose you might consider the Uberta/Rogers pairing to be overdue, but even that is still rather rocky at the end of the film. On the other side, of course Derek and Odette appear to be the perfect parents for young Alise.
Mercy Thompson 3: Moon Called Part 2
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It took ages to actually get my hands on a copy of this. Took some re-adjustment to get used to the images again instead of the pictures I see of the characters in my head when I read the normal books. Still some obvious short cuts. It's also interesting to see how different Mercy appears in the comics as opposed to how she appears on the covers of the novels. Wish there was a little more consistency overall, but still amused to see how the characters live in this different form.
View all my reviews
The Boxtrolls
The Boxtrolls (2014)
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Done in a computer clay animation style similar to Coraline or the Wallace & Gromit films, this takes some getting used to after so many years of more traditional animation. The boxtrolls are hunted and captured, feared by most of the village. It takes a young girl and a boy who was raised by the trolls to unravel the truth behind these misunderstood creatures and show just who the real villain of the town actually is.
The Swan Princess 4: Christmas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Unlike the original 3 movies, this one is done in a computer animation style reminiscent of the Barbie movies, which is rather jarring and odd. Rothbart tries to come back yet again by using a rather unlucky black cat to trick Derek. This time it's actually Derek who nearly meets his untimely end, though of course Odette nearly ends up stuck as a swan yet again. It's the spirit of Christmas itself that will stop Rothbart's ghost and save the kingdom.
June 8, 2015
Barbie 29: Princess Power
Barbie 29: Princess Power (2015)
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is by far one of the worst of the Barbie movie lines. Usually I find them at least amusing or cute, but the animation and overall characters leave something to be desired this time around. Kara is the eldest princess who wants nothing more than to "be useful" to the people, but her parents are more than a little overprotective. That changes when a kiss from a magical butterfly turns her into Super Sparkle. Add to the mix is her jealous cousin, Corrine, who finds the butterfly to become Super Sparkle's rival, Dark Sparkle. While this rivalry is happening, Baron Von Ravendale is mixing up his own super potion in a bid to take over the kingdom. Overall, far too many powers flying around and rather disappointing lack of anything regarding a real developing story line. It's just a bunch of royals wishing for something they "don't" have.
Frozen Fever
Frozen Fever (2015)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Elsa has a cold, but she's still determined to ignore it and make Anna's birthday the best ever. So much for "the cold doesn't bother me any way" (which she even references when Anna asks if she's sick. Elsa also proves some more control and variety in her powers as she makes both her and Anna's dresses appear more fancy for a summer/sun theme instead of her usual winter/cold theme. The mini-snowmen are.... amusing, chaotic, and worrisome all at the same time. Olaf's proclamation of "little brothers" leaves something to be concerned about, though hauling them all up to the ice palace and Marshmallow is entertaining. We even see a brief cameo of Hans when Elsa manages to hit him with a rather large snowball.... from clear across the ocean. Pretty much all of the commentary is done via song. The overall image is that Olaf is still crazy, Kristoff still loves Anna, and the sisters are closer than ever.
Tangled Ever After
Tangled Ever After (2012)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a hilarious short about Rapunzel and Eugene's wedding day. The characters that you actually see the most of though are Maximus and Pascal as they land in one hilarious situation after another trying to chase down the wedding rings.... after having lost them during the ceremony in the first place as Maximus is the "ring bearer." Not much of a point except for a lot of hilarity that will have anyone laughing.
June 7, 2015
My Little Pony: Magic Princess
My Little Pony: Magic Princess (Android)
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Based on the most recent release, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, this game introduces the core 6 ponies and follows their quests as they happen in the series (Tree of Harmony, Nightmare Moon, Changelings, etc.). There is even a mini game attachment that is a sort of mesh of Equestria Girls and Magic Piano. The catch is that there are 3 different currency systems, and two of them are rather hard to come by making earning those pieces for the more expensive items in the game a rather painful procedure. If you don't care about finishing things quickly or potentially getting all the ponies, then it's a fine distraction for a little while. Supposedly, it does not transfer over to new devices well if at all, so spending actual money to buy those more rare ponies and items wouldn't likely be advisable. Entertaining, especially if you like MLP, but not worth getting too invested in.
Dragons: Rise of Berk
Dragons: Rise of Berk (Android)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Based on the popular movies How To Train Your Dragon, this android game lets you train up various dragons and complete quests to expand Berk as you'd like it. Some of the challenges can take a long time though unless you are willing to fork out money for runes to buy everything outright. If you don't care about competing to get everything first though, then this can be a fun momentary distraction with some favorite
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)